Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa inspected the land belonging to the Millewa Estate in Horana, where the prison complex in Borella is to be relocated.
The need to relocate the prison has long existed due to dilapidated old buildings, overcrowding and other external factors. The prison complex and its current status was shown in a video presentation, and Prison Management & Prisoners’ Rehabilitation State Minister Lohan Ratwatte briefed the President on the developments. A 200-acre tract of land from the Millewa Estate belonging to the Urban Development Authority (UDA) has been allocated to construct the new prison complex. The Welikada Prison, Colombo Remand Prison, New Magazine Prison, Prison Hospital, Training School, Prison Intelligence Unit and the Department of Community Based Correctional Centers are to be constructed within the proposed premises. It is noteworthy that the project titled “Sipiri Suwaseth Udana,” the Millewa Detention and Correctional Center, had not been funded by the Treasury.
State Minister of Urban Development Nalaka Godahewa pointed out that special attention has been paid to the welfare of prisoners in the proposed prison complex project. The President thereafter inspected the proposed sites for the construction of the Prison Complex, Prison Hospital, Training School and the Intelligence Unit.
The President met with the residents in the Estate and inquired into their well-being during the inspection. He instructed the officials to take immediate action to provide compensation including houses for loss of properties due to constructions. Ministers Ali Sabry, Rohitha Abeygunawardena, State Ministers Vidura Wickramanayaka, Jayantha Samaraweera, Piyal Nishantha, Parliamentarians Lalith Ellawala, Sanjeewa Edirimanna, Anupa Pasqual, Secretaries to the Ministries and Government Officials were also present. – President’s Media Division